The Mandolinist is a Grand Devil that resides under the walls of Hell, trapped by an immovable gate and Hell’s own continual laws against his release.[1] Unlike much of his brethren, however, he is very much alive - and in agony, impaled on a pillar by a thousand viol bows.[2] Faceless and without his instrument, he can only play his music by scraping a bow against his tongue.[3] The mandolin is a plucked instrument, so either the presence of so many bows is a curious musical inconsistency or his name is a misnomer.
As part of his punishment, the Mandolinist is Hell's gatehouse, and his limbs stretch throughout Hell's entrance. He sounds the arrival of each entrant with his bows, which can be heard throughout the Hinterlands.[4]